1. Field of the Invention
The invention herein relates to golf clubs. More particularly it relates to golf club shafts which can be configured for different degrees of "feel."
2. Description of the Prior Art
Golfers, particularly those of above-average skill, develop preferences for specific characteristics in golf clubs as they gain experience. One characteristic most often considered by golfers when selecting golf clubs and club sets for purchase is the "feel" of each club. By "feel" is meant the relative degree of flexibility of the golf club shaft. Some golfers prefer that a club be "stiff," i.e., that the club shaft have little flexibility when the club is swung. Others prefer that the club shaft be quite flexible, while still others look for clubs with shafts of intermediate flexibility. Further, the distribution of stiffness is significant, with individual preferences for either a relatively flexible tip or a relatively stiff tip.
In the past the degree of flexibility available in a club was largely dependent upon the material from which the shaft was made. Even after fiber composite materials began to replace metal as the principal club shaft material, club manufacturers continued to use shafts which had substantially the same degree of flexibility over a manufacturer's entire club line, so that a golfer who wanted a particular degree of "feel" had to examine different manufacturers' lines until finding a line manufactured with the desired degree of "feel." Thus a golfer could not readily find the optimum club set for his or her style of play, since a club line with the desired degree of "feel" might not have other characteristics desired by the golfer, such as club head or grip properties.
We have previously described and claimed a unique fiber composite golf club shaft in which the degree of "feel" can be defined and varied to meet any golfer's requirements; see U.S. Pat. No. 5,265,872, issued on Nov. 30, 1993. That shaft also provides for enhanced strength in the region where the shaft is joined to the hosel, thus overcoming a shaft breakage problem that had plagued prior art clubs made from fiber composite materials. Shafts within the scope of that patent have been exceptionally well received in the field, being produced commercially under the trademark "FLARE" and incorporated into premium grade golf clubs such as those available commercially from the Lynx Golf Company under the trademark "BLACK CAT."